The struggle for justice for the missing persons continue. - File Photo

KARACHI: The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons has urged international organisations, including the United Nations, to conduct an inquiry into the issue of enforced disappearances as the people no longer trust the government agencies operating in Balochistan.

Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Monday, VBMP representatives said the organisation would hold a rally and a seminar on March 11 to highlight the issue.

Those who spoke at the press conference included Qadeer Baloch, Nasir Karim Baloch, Comrade Wahid and Zahid Bugti.

They alleged that various government agencies picked up people in the presence of witnesses, and after some time their tortured and mutilated bodies were found at different places.

They said the involvement of state agencies in the disappearances was clear from the fact that many missing people, about whom the government had earlier been claiming ignorance, had been brought to court.

They said they had no confidence in any commission set up by the government and would not accept their findings.

They criticised federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik alleging that he was behind the state agencies carrying out a deadly operation against rights-seeking Baloch people.

They said the reign of terror had increased so much so that it was being reported globally and various international agencies and countries, including the United States, had expressed concern over it and called for a just and an immediate solution to it.

They said relatives of people who had been picked up, and even those who had witnessed it, were willing to tell their stories to international agencies when they initiated inquiries into the matter.

They claimed that the government was exerting pressure on them to call off their protest and remove their protest camps in Quetta and Karachi, but they would not bow to pressure and would continue their protest to highlight the issue till it was resolved and people/agencies involved in the illegal activity were tried and punished.

Opinion

Editorial

Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.